The effect of texture on tactually perceived length

A curvilinear relationship between texture and perceived length was investigated in. two experiments. In Experiment 1 the perceived lengths of four grades of emery cloth and an untextured stimulus were compared in a forced-choice procedure. Generally, as predicted, fine-texture stimuli were perceived as longer than coarse-textured stimuli. Experiment 2 attempted to modify the biasing effect of texture by employing preliminary training with fine or coarse textures. Although unsuccessful in modifying the bias, the curvilinear relationship between texture and perceived length was agmn supported. Some implications for constructing teaching materials for the blind are discussed.